The History of the Audiences, as told by raja

Something old, Something New

We know these dance moves all too well. I mean…who hasn’t grown up watching The Breakfast Club? Therefore, when we see the remix videos of a group of friends performing the Brat Pack dance moves to Phoenix’s Lisztomania our mind automatically takes us back to the film. There’s a huge sense of familiarity and imitation. But isn’t there innovation here? After all, the locations are new, the clothing worn are different, the people performing the moves look and feel contemporary with their American Apparel leggings, Ray Ban covered eyes and matching shaggy beards that are all the rage in Brooklyn now. There is no question that this is a hybrid of the classical with the modern.

At the same time, is there a sense of creative legitimacy to hybridity? One commenter wrote, “Do you know what ‘decadence’ means? No? I suggest you look it up,” in response to this video. Decadence is of course cultural decline. What user jqp364 means is that this video is an indication of our generation’s lack of creativity. Meanwhile, others have found this video to be quite innovative or they see it as a tribute. There is no definitive answer; the debate can go on and on and on.

Nevertheless, this video is clearly indicative of our culture in another sense. It does show an appreciation for past works, the continuity of youth throughout the ages and our ability to add our perspective on this continuity. I would not say that this remix is decadence but rather a personalized hybridity. It is a way of making something old speak to a new generation.. Instead of creating something wholly novel, the creators of this remix have found relativity despite years of change and applied it to our world. This personalization is creativity.